


Black Cat

by mks57



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Adorable, Animals, Croatian Tree, Cute, Everybody Lives, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fear, Fear of Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Flynn shouldn't wear brown pants, Gen, Hugs, Lucy holds onto Flynn for dear life, Matter of Life and Death, Nature, Rufus is alive for now, Wyatt is an asshole, cute animal believes flynn is a tree, not sorry, small amount of blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 17:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20934311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mks57/pseuds/mks57
Summary: Garcy October Prompt & Bingo: Black Cat, Blood. The team arrive in a less than stellar location for their next mission.





	Black Cat

“Do we even know what Rittenhouse is doing here?” Rufus asked them, he waited his turn to exit the lifeboat. Wyatt was still his chair woozy from the jump. The only blessing was there was no projectile vomit this time. The last trip, none of them had been spared but that was what they got when Wyatt decided to eat carnival food in the 1930s. 

“No idea.” Lucy replied as Flynn disembarked the lifeboat first. 

“Maybe they are ruining Halloween.” Wyatt said before he belched and groaned.

“They are ruining mine.” Rufus grumbled, he had plans with Jiya. Not that he'd mention those plans to the team given the intimate nature of said plans. He stood back and watched as Flynn grabbed Lucy by the waist and lifted her up and out of the lifeboat with the grace. He didn't miss the goofy smiles the couple were wearing as Flynn lowered her to the ground. 

He didn't know who they thought they were fooling but he and Jiya knew they were together. The only people who didn't were Denise and Wyatt. Though, Rufus had a feeling Denise was ignoring it. If she didn't know, she didn't have to get involved. Wyatt was just plain oblivious as he was too self-absorbed to notice. Speaking of, as Wyatt pushed in front of Rufus to get out first.

“You want me to lift you down?” Flynn asked Wyatt in a mockingly sweet manner, he held out his arms waiting for Wyatt.

“No.” Wyatt said, he was about to step out when the tree branches above rustled, a black blur fell out straight into Flynn’s arms. “Holy shit, it’s a black cat.” he said with a freaked out expression.

“Not your stupid superstitious garbage again.” Rufus grumbled with a roll of his eyes. Wyatt turned to him with a glare.

“It’s real and a black cat literally landed in our path. We should go home now. Let Rittenhouse have this one.” Wyatt told him, he looked to the others for agreement. But Lucy and Flynn just glared at him impatiently.

"No, we're not letting Rittenhouse do anything. Now get your ass out of there." Lucy snapped at him, she didn't have time to pander to his insecurities and superstitious attitudes.

Flynn looked down at the ball of black fur in his arms, it reared its head back and looked up at him with its large adorable gold eyes. Flynn realised it was more than a normal housecat. It was a male Panther cub.

“If it helps, Wyatt. This not a cat. It’s a panther cub.” Flynn said, he would've lifted the cub up and shown Wyatt but he didn't want to mess with an untamed animal. So, he lowered the cub to the ground and hoped it scurried away as he didn’t need the cub's mother making chow out of him.

“Both are cats and black.” Wyatt told him, he continued to rant about the one time a black cat crossed his path and how something terrible happened. But Flynn barely paid him attention as the cub had found the end of one of his shoe laces and tugged on it with his baby teeth. Flynn gently pulled his foot away but the cub tugged back on the lace end like they were in a game of tug of war.

“Feline breeds.” Lucy corrected, another cub jumped out of the tree behind her. She practically jumped out of skin, she looked up and was grateful to know there was only two. Correction, three cubs as another came from behind the large trunk of the tree. She looked up to make sure she wasn't in the path of more cubs and found nothing.

“Guys, don’t move.” Wyatt said, he pulled his weapon. His eyes went wide in fear, Rufus was equally scared as he looked ready to shut the hatch and hide. Lucy's heart started to pound frantically in her chest as she didn't like Wyatt's warning or his gun drawn with her in front of it.

“Why are you getting your gun out?” Flynn asked Wyatt incredulously, before he leaned over gently pulled the shoe lace out of cub’s mouth and tucked it into his shoe. He lifted his foot as the cub tried to pounce him, the cub slid and rolled under his foot and away.

“Why are you pointing it at me?!” Lucy demanded, she was frozen in place. Wyatt had taken the safety off his gun and pointed it in her direction.

“Just in case it pounces.” Wyatt told her.

“What pounces? They are cubs, we’ll live.” Flynn assured him.

“The Mommy Panther is behind Lucy. If it gets closer, I’ll put her down.” Wyatt said, he squinted and lined up his shot. It was unsettling to watch as Wyatt was still clearly woozy from the jump as he couldn't hold the gun steady.

“Lucy or the Panther?” Flynn asked incredulously.

“What?!” Lucy hissed, she turned her head both directions and saw nothing. She was on the verge of a panic attack and running for her life but the problem was she knew she couldn't outrun Panther. She looked to Flynn; he turned around and scanned the area, Lucy saw his eyes land on something that was outside of her vision. He paled a little but his expression and composure remained remarkably calm.

“The Panther.” Wyatt snapped in annoyance.

“Never know with you.” Flynn drawled sarcastically. The cub that had been at his feet was now pawing the lifeboat with curiosity

“Seriously? Then you kill it!” Wyatt shouted at him, but he didn't lower his gun which was incredibly unsettling.

“I’m not killing a Panther. Lucy walk slowly over to me.” Flynn told her, Lucy looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

“I can’t.” Lucy said, frozen in fear. She was more afraid of Wyatt shooting her than being mauled by a Panther. She felt if she moved it might antagonise the Panther which would lead to her getting shot.

“Ok, I’ll come to you and we’ll walk to the lifeboat together. Calmly as we can, just ignoring Panthers." Flynn said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“You’ll piss off the mother.” Wyatt said, Flynn blew out a tired breath as Wyatt was not helping Lucy.

“She doesn’t care about us as long as we don’t appear threatening.” Flynn told him, he took slow and measured steps towards Lucy.

“Wyatt put your gun away.” Lucy ordered.

“I doubt a Panther knows what a gun is.” Wyatt told her.

“I know what it is and I don’t want to get shot today!” Lucy shouted at him. She whimpered as the cubs closest to her play wrestled close to her legs. She still couldn't move as every fibre of her being felt frozen and stiff.

“I’m a good shot.” Wyatt told her.

“Actually, you’re not unless the guy is like 5 feet away from you.” Rufus remarked as he watched from the sidelines.

“Wow, is it pick on Wyatt day or something?” Wyatt asked in exasperation.

“Have you thought about getting your eyes tested.” Flynn asked.

“Fuck you,” Wyatt said, he put the safety back on his gun and holstered it.

“You’re not my type.” Flynn said, he continued to make his way to Lucy. He made sure to walk around the cubs that were messing around on the ground nearby. He reached her and stepped between her and Wyatt’s gun. If anyone was going to catch a bullet it wasn’t going to be Lucy and hopefully not the Panther. “You ok?” he asked Lucy.

“No, where is the mother?” She asked, Flynn looked over her shoulder and saw the mother prowling the 10 feet away from them with wary eyes. But she was edging closer with every step.

“She’s slowly slinking her way over to the cubs. I think we should just move to your left and put distance between us and her cubs. You ready?” he asked, he held out his hand to her.

“No.” Lucy said, she grabbed his hand and held on for dear life. Flynn gave her a closed lip smile as if to comfort her. 

“You trust me?” he asked softly.

"Yes." she replied, she tried to breath but felt her breaths coming short and fast. Tears welled in her eyes as she couldn't do it. She couldn't move. Flynn closed the space between them, he took her by the waist and pulled her close. It was almost like they were about to dance.

"Then let's do this. Just two steps to your left. Just focus on me, two steps. You can do that." he told her softly and confidently, it seemed to seep into her marrow that he was right. Her limbs loosened just a little. They took two side steps, Flynn kept them moving but then Lucy saw the adult Panther. It was incredibly close. Too close as her fear overcame her.

“Oh my god.” Lucy whimpered, she released his hand and moved around behind him. She grabbed onto Flynn’s torso from the back. Flynn’s hands laid on top of hers in a sure and comforting manner. She didn’t understand how he could be so calm when a large panther was less than three feet away.

“It’s ok.” Flynn said, Lucy wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or the panther. "It's ok." he said, Lucy pulled her head back behind him and pressed her cheek to his back. She squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out what was happening. 

“I got this.” Wyatt said announced, Lucy didn't want to know. She thought he had put his gun away.

“Do not shoot.” Flynn ordered.

“Fuck it. You want to be eaten, fine.” Wyatt said, he put his gun away again much to the relief of everyone. Lucy felt Flynn's body relax under her arms, he slowly edged them back a step. She opened her eyes, unable to not know what was happening. She peeked around his back again.

“Flynn, the cub.” Lucy said, as one of the more inquisitive cubs came towards them. Her arms reflexively tightened around him, he edged them back yet another step and then stopped.

“It’s ok, he’ll sniff around and get bored.” Flynn assured her in a low voice. "He's harmless. You just watch and see." he told her.

“I’m not worried about the cub but more his Mom.” Lucy said, the cubs were incredibly adorable. The mother was majestic, if Lucy weren’t in fear of her mauling them; Lucy would be in complete awe of her beauty. But all she could see was claws, teeth and visions of her and Flynn screaming in an agonising death.

“If it comes to it, I’ll get her attention and you run for the lifeboat. The boys will pull you in and you’ll be safe.” He told her.

“I don’t like that plan.” Lucy mumbled, she watched the cub like it were a ticking time bomb. A really adorable, furry time bomb with claws.

“It won’t come to it.” Flynn assured her, he watched the cub sniff around his legs. He then tentatively pawed Flynn’s leg and he made the cutest tiny screeching noises that sounded like a bird more than cat. His siblings didn’t care about his discovery but mother was watching them.

“He’s trying to climb you.” Lucy said, she winced as the cub dug his paws into Flynn’s leg to try and get leverage. 

“Probably thinks he’s a tree with those brown pants.” Wyatt deadpanned.

“That isn’t funny.” Lucy told him, she eyed the cub who had given up trying to climb Flynn and was now sniffing around her feet. “No.” she murmured as the cub made a purring noise while he rubbed his side against her and Flynn’s legs. Her entire body tensed up as the mother who’d been content to watch had decided she’d had enough of her cub’s curious ways.

She rose to her paws and came towards them, Lucy hold on Flynn tightened to the point she was sure she was strangling his stomach. She involuntarily held her breath.

“Just be calm.” Flynn said in a pained voice. Lucy was squeezing him like a vice. He edged them away from the cub. The mother leaned her head down and picked up the cub with her mouth, she turned around and returned to the other cubs.

Lucy and Flynn watched as the family walked away, with distance between them; Lucy’s arms loosened. They both blew out a breath of relief. Flynn rubbed her arms as he felt the goose bumps and Lucy shiver but it was not from the cold.

“Well, that was a great start.” Wyatt said as he slid out of the lifeboat. Lucy and Flynn ignored him, she held onto him; grateful that he'd been at her side.

“You alright?” Flynn asked Lucy, he moved to the side but held her close. She was incredibly pale and shaking in his arms.

“That was a close one.” She said, she soaked up his warmth as she was finally able to feel it.

“You let go of kitty kibble there, Lucy. The danger is miles away.” Wyatt said completely oblivious to Lucy recovering from a terrifying situation.

“Right.” Lucy said reluctantly as she pulled herself out of Flynn’s warm embrace. Flynn’s hands traced along her arms as he slowly let her go. She gave him a tight smile as she had needed a few more seconds more in his embrace to find her equilibrium. “Let’s go.” She told them, she didn’t need Rufus and Wyatt gawking at her and Flynn.

Wyatt and Rufus shrugged as they took the lead. Lucy could hear Wyatt loudly telling Rufus that he needed to get better at parking the lifeboat in safer locations. Lucy rolled her eyes as she fell into step with Flynn, she preferred his company to Rufus and Wyatt’s childish arguments.

“How were you not freaking out with that Panther and her cubs?” Lucy asked him.

“I was, I’m just better at hiding it. I’m fine by the way, the claw marks will heal and the blood will come out in the wash.” Flynn mused.

“Good.” She said, she couldn’t help a small smile at her faux pas. She looked down to see the small stains of blood on his pant leg. “Tell me, how did you even know the panther wouldn’t attack us?” She asked him, she brushed her hand against his. She wanted to hold his hand. But it wasn't worth the ear ache from Wyatt.

“No, I just hoped if we were peaceful and non-threatening then she and her cubs would move on. They did, which was better than Wyatt killing them.” he said with a shrug. He smiled at her as she looked a little dazed by his response. “You have to agree, those cubs were adorable. The mother, she was majestic. It’s a shame they are extinct in the US in our present. But we were lucky to see them first hand.” He added.

“Yes, we are lucky.” Lucy said, she couldn’t argue with his statement. Time travel was a coin, on one side it was a curse to witness the suffering and pain, to get to know people who would die. But on the other side, it was a gift as they were able to witness the beauty of people and nature that were lost to time and evolution.

But she never took stock of the good as she just kept track of their failures and the horror. She looked at Flynn, she couldn’t help but smile as she appreciated his presence.

“So, what do you think Emma is doing here?” Flynn asked her.

“I honestly don’t know, but we’ll find out.” Lucy replied. 


End file.
